Tray-stacking appliance.



rs J. HELY. TRAY STAGKING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATIION FILED JUNE 2611911.

Patented May 28,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G J. HELY- TRAY STACKING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1917.

1 ,%7,%9; v Patented May 28, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

GUY J. HELY, OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

TRAY-STACKING APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, 191$.

Application filed June 26, 1917. Serial No. 177,056.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, GUY J. HELY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fresno, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTray-Stacking Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a device for use in stacking trays employed in curing raisms. Raisins are now set out to dry upon trays consisting of light thin boards secured at their ends to and supported by cross bars of wood, and after the raisins have been dried or upon approach of a storm it is the prac tice to pile the trays so that the piled trays may be covered and the fruit protected. The work of piling the trays manually is laborious and time-consuming, and to facilitate the operation I have devised the appliance illustrated in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter fully described by the the use of which the work may be very expeditiously performed. The invention con sists in certain novel features which will be particularly pointed out in the. claims following the detailed description.

In the drawings: I

F'gure 1 is a perspective view showing my appliance in its operative position as supporting a tray which is to be carried to and placed upon another tray;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sideelevation of one side or member of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of'a portion of the apparatus. 7 1

The tray consists, as previously stated, of thin boards 1 secured at their ends to cross bars 2 which are generally of wood and may be readily penetrated by teeth or spurs. The raisins are spread upon the upper sur face of the boards 1 and so distributed that the surface of the boards immediately over the cross bars 2 will be uncovered and may receive the lower edges of the cross bars upon a superposed tray as is shown in Fig. 2.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a handle bar which is preferably formed in two sections 3 and 4. adjustably connected in any preferred manner at their inner ends 5 so that the device may be adjusted to trays of different sizes. To the section 4 of the handle bar, I secure a standard 6 having a oke 7 swiveled to its lower end. This yoke has a shaft 8 journaled in the lower ends of its side members and to the ends of said the opposite direction To the handle member 3, I attach a stand shaft beyond the side members, I secure the cumference. These spurs or teeth 10 are of such dimensions that they may readily en gage without destroying the side bars 2 and they will be of conoidal or sharpened form so that they will readily penetrate the wood forming the cross bar, as clearly shown in Fig. 9.. In order to prevent the weight of the tray rotating the wheels in such direction as to permlt the tray to drop, I provide, between one of the disks or wheels and the adjacent side member of the yoke, a ratchet disk or stop member 11 and upon said side member, above the said stop member, I pivotally mount a dog or pawl 12 which is of the ratchet or stop member 11 by a spring 13 having its opposite ends secured to the end of the dog and to the side member of the yoke, as clearly shown. As shown most clearly by dotted lines in Fig. 2, it will be readily understood that rotation of the held in engagement with the teeth wheel or disk in the direction indicated by,

the arrow will be permitted but rotation in will be prevented.

ard, hanger or supporting member 14: which is similar in all respects to the standard, hanger or supporting member the upper end of the member to the handle member 8 rigidly secured thereto. To the lower end of the hanger 11, I swivel a yoke 15 which is identical in construction with the, yoke 7 and carries duplicates of the 12, and the coacting parts. sisting of the links 16 11- is pivoted A toggle, con and a lever or handle member 17, connects the hanger 1 1 with the handle member 8 beyond the point of piv otal connection between the handle member and the hanger, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2. The lower ends of the links 16 are pivoted to the hanger and the upper ends of said links are pivoted to the opposite sides of the lever 17 which has its upper extremity pivoted to the handle member 3, as clearly shown. When members of the toggle are in alinement, the hanger 14 will be held against the edge of the tray and the teeth 10 of the disks or wheels 9 at opposite sides of the tray will be forced into engagement with the cross bars 2 so as to support the tray. If the toggle be collapsed, as indicated by dotted 6 except that wheels 9, a dog the lever and the link instead of being" be reedilyunderstoodr When a trayis tobe moved, the hangers 6 and 1, are disposed at opposite sides of the sameaiid the toggle I is straightenedmhereby swinging the hanger 14 tofvvardthe m and forcing the teeth- 10 of all the'disks or-Wheels 9 into positive engagement with the respectively adjacent cross bars :2; The tray can :then be liftedand deplosited pon a second tray, after Whichfif 'a slight downward pressure be exerted through the handle members, the disks1or wheels 9 will belcaused toy rotate and.ride=.CloWn,.the cross bars and edges of the tray-sso as to engage the cross bars of the lowertray. fThetw-o superposed trays can then belifted and placed upon a thi rd tray and the operation repeated until the entire, spacef between the handle members and the hangers is filled with trays, whereupon the'piletof trays may be placed in a store house 1 or otherwise protected againstbad weather orotherdeteriorating 1nfluenees. To release the appliance from the pile of'tra'ys, it .is necessary merely to fold I the toggleby pulling outwardly upon the lowerfie'ndof: thelever member 17 of the sameIIwvhereupon the hanger lt will beswung: outwardly, as. indicated by dottedlinesinFig. 2. Another-pile of trays can then be collectedand the operation repeated 1 until all of the ,trays have beencollect ed and stored. 1

It will be readilynoted that my deviee'is exceedinglyjsimple and may be manipulated by tWoimen' so that, a very large number of trays mayibe :stored expeditiously and a very pronouncedsaving oftimeeffected over the :present methods; VVhen 5 the device A is being. carried from place to place With a pile of trays therein, the dropping of the trays. is Positively prevented by the engagement of theiteeth or spurs -9 with the bars While I prefer the Qof the lowermost tray. The weight of the tray tends to rotate the rollers or disks 9 in a direction opposite to that indicated by "the arrow iii Fig." 2, but this rotation is prevented by the dog 12 engaging the ratchet 1-1'3"' By' collapsing or folding the toggle, however, the device may be instantly removed'froni the trays. The swiveled eon- -nection of-the yokes 7 and 15 t0 the respective hangers permits the said yokes to automatically assume a position parallel with the ends-or; sides of the tray so that when the toggle isstraightened, the pressure exertedwill be distributed evenly through all the rollers or disks and the tray, consequently, supportedm a, well balanced manner so that the tipping of the same .and loss of fruit will be avoided. Having thus described the what isrelaimed as new is:

1. A device-for the purpose set forth comprismg a handle member, a hanger rigidly I secured at its upper end to the handle member, a cooperating hanger pivot'ally suspended at its upper end from the handle member, and a toggle connectedat its lower end to the last-mentioned hanger and at its upper end to the handle member between the hanger and the adjacent end of the handle.

2. A 'devicefor the purpose set forth comprising a handle member, hangers suspended from the handle n'ien'iber, yokes swiveled upon the lower ends of the hangers, and'tray-engaging devices carried by the lower ends of saidyokes'.

3. A device for the purpose set forth comprising a handle member, hangers susinvention,

pended from said handle member, yokes swiveled on the ends of the hangers, shafts journaledin the lower ends of the yokes. disks on the ends of the shafts provided with teeth adapted to-penetrate the ends of a tray, ratohetson said shafts, dogs on the yokes adaptedto engage said ratchets, and yieldable means for holding the dogs in engagement with the ratchets.

whereof I affix my signature.

In testimony i- GUY HELY. [14. s.]

(lopieslef patent may be obtained vforfive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

